Now that more than two years have passed since the one-time radical group Hamas followed President Bush's advice and went legit and swept Palestinian elections, the effects of their leadership are being felt in Gaza where residents are now living under strict Islamic rule.

Cursing God in public here — a fairly common event in this benighted and besieged strip of Palestinian land — can now lead to prison. So can kissing in public. A judge ruled last week that a bank could not collect its contracted interest on a 10-year-old loan because Islam forbids charging interest.

One year ago, gunmen from Hamas, an Islamist anti-Israel group, took over Gaza, shooting some of their more secular Fatah rivals in the knees and tossing one off a building. Israel and the West imposed a blockade, hoping to squeeze the new rulers from power. Yet today Hamas has spread its authority across all aspects of life, including the judiciary. It is fully in charge. Gazans have not, as Israel and the United States hoped, risen up against it.

Gaza has always been poor and pious, distinct from the more secular and better off West Bank. But a year of Hamas rule has made it more so. The notion of Gaza as an enduringly separate entity is solidifying, making it less likely that Palestinians might agree even among themselves on peace with Israel.

Compared with a year ago here in Gaza, more women are covered, more men are bearded, Internet sites are filtered and non-Hamas public gatherings are largely banned.

McCain, of course, will continue Bush's policy of ignoring the Israel / Palestine conflict, while Obama has made it a cornerstone of his Presidential campaign and a significant position towards repairing the damage that has increased by Bush & McCain's failed war on terror.

The Palestine / Israel conflict is the central battle of the war on terror. It was Bin Laden's first reason for attacking America and it is the main reason for so many unnecessary civilian deaths.

Obama's proactive approach to the sitution is what is needed more than ever. The world can't afford McCain and Bush's Mid East policies anymore...........